How The Gun Laws In Pennsylvania Compare To Other States

By Grant Suneson, 24/7 Wall St. Wilkes-Barre

2021-06-07

As the only country in the world whose constitution enshrines the right to keep and bear arms without restrictions, it’s no surprise the United States is absolutely saturated with guns.
The country is a global outlier in private firearm ownership. The U.S. has about 4% of the world’s population but its people possess almost 40% of the world’s civilian-owned guns — nearly 121 for every 100 residents, according to a 2018 report by the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey.
The strict partisan divide over the issue means that many states have very loose gun-ownership rules. And those with stronger restrictions in place can do little to stem the flow of firearms from less-regulated states. One bill currently before the House Judiciary committee, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, would even force states with stricter gun laws to accept concealed carry permits issued in states with less stringent laws.

In 2020, the gun control laws in Pennsylvania ranked as the 13th strongest in the country, as the laws received a C+ grade from the Giffords Law Center. Pennsylvania had 11.7 gun deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020, the 19th lowest rate among all states.

Philadelphia requires a license to openly carry a firearm, but the rest of Pennsylvania does not. As with other states with open-carry or concealed-carry allowances (licensed or otherwise) there are exceptions to the rule: Firearms are not allowed in such places as casinos, houses of worship, and bars. The state does not regulate assault weapons.

To determine the states with the best and worst gun laws, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2020 Annual Gun Law Scorecard from the Giffords Law Center, which ranks states on the strength of gun laws and policy and assigns a letter grade.

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This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.